A Republic No More: Big Government and the Rise of American Political Corruption

A Republic No More: Big Government and the Rise of American Political Corruption

Author: Cato Institute February 12, 2015 Duration: 1:26:56
Cato Event Podcast
NewsCommentaryGovernmentPolitics

The American Founders planned for a republic and feared its corruption. Jay Cost thinks their fears are coming true. His new book reveals that big government has promoted corruption that favors the privileged over the many, corruption that is both legal and too often accepted.

Cost argues that politicians today have professionalized the pathways of corruption so thoroughly that they can more easily defy detection, and, barring that, retain plausible deniability. From the 18th century to today, Cost traces the history of how America ceased being a republic and became a special-interest democracy.

Will the 2016 elections bring change? Cost’s sweeping history of American political corruption does not spare the age of Obama. He demonstrates that a president who promised to change the system became a willing participant, as did both parties in the U.S. Congress — at a cost of hundreds of billions of dollars to taxpayers.

Please join us for a disturbing portrait of a nation fostering and fighting political decline.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.


Step inside the Cato Institute's renowned Washington, D.C. events without leaving your desk. The Cato Event Podcast brings the lecture hall and briefing room directly to you, featuring unfiltered audio from live policy forums, author discussions, and Capitol Hill briefings. Each episode captures the substance of these gatherings, where scholars, policymakers, and leading thinkers engage in detailed conversations about liberty, governance, and current affairs. You'll hear substantive debates and thoughtful commentary that cut through the noise of daily headlines, offering deeper analysis on the issues shaping legislation and public discourse. This isn't a produced studio show; it's a front-row seat to the kind of candid exchanges that happen when experts gather to challenge conventional wisdom. The Cato Institute, through this podcast, provides a direct conduit to these discussions, emphasizing a perspective rooted in individual freedom, limited government, and free markets. Tune in for a raw, intellectual experience that goes beyond soundbites, perfect for anyone who wants to understand the foundational ideas behind today's political news.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 102

Official website RSS
Cato Event Podcast
Podcast Episodes
The Case for Restraint in U.S. Foreign Policy - Lunch Address [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 34:56
For the past two decades Democratic and Republican leaders have viewed U.S. military power as indispensable to global stability. Known as "primacy" or "liberal hegemony," U.S. military alliances, they believed, would sec…
Panel 2: The Myths of Primacy: Geography, Energy, and Democracy [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:30:14
For the past two decades Democratic and Republican leaders have viewed U.S. military power as indispensable to global stability. Known as "primacy" or "liberal hegemony," U.S. military alliances, they believed, would sec…
Closing Address and Closing Remarks [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 50:12
Throughout our history, Americans have been a highly religious people. Indeed, many of the original colonists came to the New World specifically to escape religious persecution. And though somewhat less devout than we on…
Panel 3: Public Accommodations: What Are the Limits? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:11:34
Throughout our history, Americans have been a highly religious people. Indeed, many of the original colonists came to the New World specifically to escape religious persecution. And though somewhat less devout than we on…
Protecting Religious Liberty - Lunch Address [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 38:02
Throughout our history, Americans have been a highly religious people. Indeed, many of the original colonists came to the New World specifically to escape religious persecution. And though somewhat less devout than we on…
Democracy and Political Ignorance: Why Smaller Government Is Smarter [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:28:33
Ilya Somin’s Democracy and Political Ignorance has profoundly influenced libertarian thinking about voters and elections. More generally, the 2016 primary season has satisfied few and left the electorate choosing between…
The Age of Em: Work, Love, and Life when Robots Rule the Earth [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:24:26
A whole brain emulation, or “em,” is a fully functional computational model of a specific human brain. As such, it thinks and feels much like the copied human mind would. Economist Robin Hanson predicts that the age of e…

«1...121314151617181920...33»